Mary nodded. “She was a schoolteacher. Maybe there were more jobs in Montana but, for whatever reason, she didn’t go back to Oregon.”
Penny came into the room carrying a tray of drinks. “Here you go, everyone. I’ve added a plate of chocolate chip cookies. Diana made them this morning.”
Oscar grinned. “They’re my favorite.”
“I’m glad,” Penny told him. “If it’s okay with your mom, you’re welcome to come into the kitchen with me. Charlie, my sister’s dog, would love to see you.”
Oscar’s big blue eyes turned to Chloe. “Please, Mom. Can I see Charlie?”
“Okay, but don’t walk with your hot chocolate. I’ll take it through to the kitchen for you.”
Penny smiled. “It’s okay. I can take it.” And with a happy smile, Oscar followed her into the kitchen.
Sacha watched them leave the living room. “He’s a great little boy.”
“He is. He also loves dogs, so seeing Charlie will be the highlight of our visit.”
Mary picked up another letter. “This letter talks about Eleanor starting work in Bozeman after she returned from New York City. She was incredibly resourceful.”
“Did she ever go back to Sapphire Bay?” Liam asked.
“No,” Mary shook her head. “She spent the rest of her life in Bozeman. Perhaps returning here held too many painful memories for her.”
Chloe thought about the previous conversation she’d had with Sacha. “That’s where she met Thomas, isn’t it?”
“It is,” Sacha confirmed. “Thomas Miller was a schoolteacher, too. They married and had a family. They had five girls and four boys. Unfortunately, two of the children died while they were still infants.”
“Was she happy?” Chloe inquired gently.
“She built a good life,” Mary said. “But there wasn’t the same level of emotion in her letters and diaries when she spoke of Thomas.”
“But that doesn’t mean she was unhappy,” Sacha reminded her mom. “She adored Thomas, and I doubt she would have married him if she didn’t love him. It was just a different kind of love to what she’d felt for Samuel.”
Liam leaned forward. “Do you know if she ever saw Samuel again?”
“We don’t know for sure,” Sacha admitted. “There’s no record of them reconnecting.”
Chloe looked through the photographs Sacha had laid out. One caught her eye—a young Eleanor standing in front of a modest house, a gentle smile on her face.
“She was beautiful,” Chloe remarked.
“She was,” Mary agreed. “And funny. She got herself into all kinds of awkward situations when she was sketching people doing everyday things.”
They continued exploring the letters and diaries, piecing together the fragments of Eleanor’s life. Liam took notes, occasionally exchanging thoughtful glances with Chloe.
“Mom, can I look at the pictures?” Oscar asked as he came back into the room with Penny.
“Of course, you can. But we’re only looking, not touching.”
Oscar sat at Chloe’s feet and studied the photos. “They look old.”
“They are. Some of them are more than a hundred years old. That’s older than your grandma and granddad.” Oscar’s eyes widened and Chloe smiled. “They’re photos of Eleanor, the lady who painted the pictures on the walls of the buildings, and her family.”
Sacha slid another photo toward him.
Oscar examined it carefully. “She looks nice.”
“She was,” Mary said with a smile.
